Chapter 120

Chapter 120

The day before Valentine's Day, Yi Tiantian arrived at the show's recording venue with her luggage, full of excitement. However, on her first day as a working participant, she unexpectedly ran into the boss.

But strangely, this boss seemed a little... shy?!

"Tiantian, you're here."

Xie Yi was dressed in a well-fitted black suit, neatly revealing a white shirt. His straight, long legs were crossed, but the slightly nervous expression on his face when he saw Yi Tiantian gave him away.

Seeing Xie Yi sitting in the room, Yi Tiantian even began to wonder if she had gone to the wrong show venue.

"Why is President Xie here?!"

After double-checking, Yi Tiantian confirmed that she hadn't gone to the wrong place; it was Xie Yi who was in the wrong room!

"Nowadays, do we need to bother the top boss to supervise variety show recordings?!"

Hearing Yi Tiantian's inner thoughts, Xie Yi knew she had misunderstood him. A flicker of unease passed over his stern face.

"Actually, I'm here to participate in the show."

Yi Tiantian: !

Seeing how surprised the little one in front of him was, Xie Yi couldn't help but clear his throat lightly.

"Mainly because I felt like traveling, and this opportunity came up..."

Memories flooded his mind, and Xie Yi could almost see his younger sister, Xie Niao, who had been earnestly persuading him to join this episode a few days ago.

Xie Niao had noticed that her brother had been buried in work all day long, even working overnight during the New Year's holiday. He was like a machine, and as his younger sister, she felt both concern and heartache for him.

In fact, Xie Niao had encouraged Xie Yi to bravely ask Yi Tiantian out, but every time, Xie Yi fell just short.

For example, just as Yi Tiantian had arrived at the Fei family's home, he received Xie Yi's call. Another time, during Xi Lian's concert, Yi Tiantian didn't pick up his call at all.

In short, he always seemed to miss the mark by just a little.

So, when she heard that this episode was a Valentine's Day special, Xie Niao, without a second thought, signed Xie Yi up.

Xie Niao understood her brother well; Xie Yi did need a catalyst to spur him into action.

With Xie Niao's help, President Xie successfully made his move and joined the show!

"Oh, that's how it is."

Yi Tiantian didn't dwell too much on why a big boss like Xie Yi would choose to travel with her on a show instead of going alone. She figured that even someone like Xie Yi, who didn't lack money, might enjoy a funded trip.

Since this was a Valentine's Day special, there were unusually many viewers in the live stream room today.

Before the official announcement on Weibo that the live stream had started, the live stream's comments began to roll in.

[Wow, your devoted follower Xiao Le is here to pay respects to the Sect Leader. O Sect Leader, please bless me to pass the civil service exam this year!]

[The Sect Leader's new variety show!! So happy, so happy! Watching it will surely boost my luck!!]

[Isn't that Xie Yi?! Xie Yi and Yi Tiantian, the 'Soaring Together' duo?!]

[Oh? The name above is nice!]

[Learning that the boss is going to appear on a variety show, I immediately came to watch, hehe! The relationship between these two people is not simple, you know~]

[??? Spill the tea!]

[Gimme + ID number!]

[Scootin' away, can't spill any tea, all I can say is, the boss for a long time!]

[Is it the "long time" I'm imagining?!]

[Feeling like I've discovered something……Could Xie Yi be dating Yi Tiantian? This is the Qixi special! All the guests this time are couples!]

[Yeah, the program group said they invited four couples, could Xie Yi and Yi Tiantian be one of them?!]

Yi Tiantian actually knew nothing about this; she didn’t know that all the participants this time were couples, nor that she had been paired up with Xie Yi by the program group.

The two chatted for a while, when suddenly the sound of footsteps approaching from far down the corridor could be heard outside.

The most noticeable was the crisp sound of high heels hitting the floor, while the man’s presence was less apparent, as his footsteps were completely drowned out by the sound of the high heels.

“Seems like the guests have arrived.”

Yi Tiantian curiously poked her head towards the door, trying to get a good look at the person who had just entered.

What walked in was a man dressed very plainly, wearing thick-framed glasses, alongside his wife who was dressed in a red maxi dress with bright red lipstick, looking stunningly attractive.

The two of them didn’t even seem like they were from the same layer, as the wife’s beauty was too striking.

As soon as they entered, they greeted Xie Yi and Yi Tiantian warmly.

“Mr. Xie, Mr. Yi, hello, nice to meet you.”

The first to speak was the stunning woman, who appeared quite confident and articulate, more so than the man next to her.

Both Xie Yi and Yi Tiantian reached out to greet the couple.

“Nice to meet you, nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you.”

Although the two of them might not know much about this couple, the audience watching the live stream were very familiar with them.

[Wow!! So the rumored internet celebrity couple is actually them!]

[It’s my favorite Meimei and Dede! They are such a great couple!!]

[Meimei deserves it! She’s so beautiful, she deserves to be loved!]

[Relationship goals, only love like theirs can lead to marriage!!]

“We are an internet celebrity couple, those who frequently use social media might recognize us. We are the ‘Meide Family’ online.”

It wasn’t until she sat down that Yi Tiantian noticed the high slit design of the red dress, revealing the woman’s fair and slender legs, which were boldly displayed to the camera.

Finally, the woman began to introduce themselves. She looked excited and spoke loudly, appearing very proud of her identity.

“I am Mei from the Meide Family. My full name is Zhong Mei, and you can call me Meimei.”

Meimei, or Zhong Mei, had a lovely smile on her face as she turned to look at her husband, casually introducing him as well. “This is my husband. He’s a man of few words, his full name is Liu Yide, and you can call him Dede.”

The man hadn't said a word since he came in, and even his self-introduction was done by Meimei on his behalf. He just nodded awkwardly, as if strongly agreeing with Zhong Mei's words.

[Haha, Dede is still so cute, such a huge case of social anxiety!]

[This family really relies on Meimei to hold everything together!]

[But in Dede's personal vlog, he seems like a very talkative person. I don't understand why he becomes so quiet whenever he's next to Meimei...]

[What is the above comment even trying to say? The couple's relationship is perfectly fine; don't try to stir up trouble here!]

Although Yi Tiantian couldn't see the live comments, she sensed something was off through her gossip-tracking system.

"Actually, on the surface, Zhong Mei appears to be managing the household, but in reality, she's just using the gimmick of an influencer family to make money! Behind the scenes, she's a master at manipulating people, and she's also a deadbeat who refused to repay a debt, which resulted in a five-year-old girl with leukemia not receiving the medical treatment she needed and ultimately passing away! The girl's family, with the critically ill child, begged at her door multiple times to get their money back, but Zhong Mei turned them away every single time!"

"And Liu Yide isn't really the silent type either; that's just the persona he portrays on Zhong Mei's social media accounts! Behind the scenes, he strongly dislikes Zhong Mei's arrogant personality and her deadbeat behavior, but at the same time, he enjoys the benefits that come from her being a deadbeat! And when the girl's family came to their door, Liu Yide actually drove them away with a stick!"

"Most importantly, their relationship isn't as good as it appears online because they are actually in the process of getting a divorce right now!"

Upon hearing Yi Tiantian's thoughts, Xie Yi imperceptibly furrowed his brow.

This couple was just using their online personas to make money, but little did anyone know, they were blood-sucking devils!

While they were vacationing and making money on the show, the little girl with leukemia, who they had indirectly caused harm to, was gone forever!

Xie Yi had already started thinking of ways to gather evidence of their crimes; they must be brought to justice!

The staff members around were also shocked.

Some of them knew the influencer couple and had seen them post various donation certificates online, but they never expected that behind the scenes, they were deadbeats who had caused the death of a little girl!

Other staff members, who had once admired the couple's loving relationship, were now horrified by the shocking truth hidden beneath those loving videos!

Zhong Mei and Liu Yide clearly heard Yi Tiantian's thoughts as well. They had just seen her not saying anything, but how could they have heard her voice?!

Was it an auditory hallucination??

And how did that voice know about the little girl? How did it know that they were in the middle of a divorce? The only other person who knew about that, apart from them, was their divorce lawyer!

The two of them exchanged a secret glance, a cold sweat forming between them.

But Zhong Mei, being more strong-willed, wouldn't back down after hearing such thoughts. However, she couldn't outright deny it, so she quickly came up with a clever idea instead.

No one had any evidence about the little girl, so there was no need to clarify that on the show.

As for the divorce rumors...

All she had to do was prove that she and her husband were still very much in love!

So Zhong Mei suddenly took Liu Yide's hand affectionately and said half-jokingly, "Dede, thank you for the gift you prepared for me this weekend!"

Liu Yide, knowing what Zhong Mei was going to say, responded with his usual silent demeanor, patting her long, fair hand and giving a slight nod with a smile, not saying a single word.

The couple's interaction caused a wave of second-hand embarrassment among the audience.

The staff members of the *Special Forces Action!* program, being seasoned employees, already fully believed Yi Tiantian's thoughts.

Seeing the couple's forced expressions and gestures after hearing Yi Tiantian's thoughts made the staff feel like they were getting goosebumps all over.

But the viewers in the live comments were different; they had been brainwashed by the loving content the couple posted on social media.

[I say, can the two of you please tone it down a bit on the show, hahaha, I'm full from all the dog food!]

[Hehehe, I just love watching it. These two are really so sweet, oh hehehe!]

[I suggest everyone who hasn't watched the latest video of the Meide couple go watch it! This weekend, Dede prepared a spring outing for Meimei and even made the bento for the picnic himself. It's really touching!]

[Wow, going to watch it right away! Gonna boost the Meide couple's views! Let this loving couple rake in the cash!]

After showing off their love, Zhong Mei finally felt at ease again.

She believed that anyone who watched that episode would be convinced of their love.

Thinking of this, Zhong Mei opened her mouth smugly to strike up a conversation, "I heard that we will have another particularly loving couple on this episode, seemingly the boss of Jiechu Entertainment and his wife. I heard this boss is very affectionate towards his wife and lets her be a full-time housewife!"

She thought everyone would chime in with some polite remarks, but neither Yi Tiantian nor Xie Yi said a word.

Xie Yi was never interested in such things; he joined the show only to travel with Yi Tiantian.

Yi Tiantian just smiled slightly, not wanting to engage with Zhong Mei's remark.

Zhong Mei paused awkwardly for two seconds, then turned her head to glance at her silent husband, Liu Yide.

This man, he doesn’t even know how to help her by saying a few words!

Unfortunately, Liu Yide had long been displeased with Zhong Mei, and he also played dumb, saying nothing.

"Zhong Mei is a blood-sucking monster. She is no longer satisfied with just being an internet celebrity by Liu Yide's side. She wants to step directly into the entertainment industry now!"

"The boss of Jiechu Entertainment is actually the main target of why Zhong Mei joined this show. She wants to use this boss as a stepping stone to successfully enter the core of the entertainment industry!"

"And during the show, Zhong Mei will..."

Before Yi Tiantian could finish her inner thoughts, Zhong Mei over there became visibly flustered, her beautifully made-up face turning as dark as the bottom of a pot in an instant.

Hearing this, Liu Yide frowned deeply and looked at Zhong Mei with a scrutinizing gaze.

But Zhong Mei pretended to be calm and shot a glance right back at him.

Just then, two more people entered the room.

This time, it was a greasy man with a slicked-back hairstyle, looking slightly oily and overweight, along with a woman dressed in a white dress with a very gentle demeanor.

When Zhong Mei saw the oily man, her eyes lit up. This was the boss of Jiechu Entertainment, the one she had been dying to meet.

Without a second thought, even though her husband Liu Yide was still by her side, she eagerly spread her arms to welcome the oily man.

"Hello..."

But the oily man completely ignored Zhong Mei and walked right past her.

Zhong Mei's expression faltered slightly, and she awkwardly returned to her seat.

Meanwhile, her husband Liu Yide ruthlessly mocked her in his heart and glared at Zhong Mei a couple of times.

Feeling humiliated, Zhong Mei didn’t even dare to look at Liu Yide’s expression.

As soon as the oily man entered, he quickly stepped forward and shook hands with Xie Yi, speaking obsequiously, "Mr. Xie, it's a pleasure to see you here. It's truly an honor to meet you!"

In saying this, the oily man ignored everyone else around him, including the wife who had come in with him.

The gentle woman in the white dress stood uneasily, seemingly unsure of what to do.

Seeing this, Yi Tiantian turned to her and gave her a friendly smile, gesturing for her to sit next to him.

Grateful, the woman gave Yi Tiantian a quick smile and walked forward to sit down.

The oily man continued to babble on with pleasantries to Xie Yi, as if this were not a show recording but his personal stand-up comedy show.

Xie Yi frowned and quickly withdrew his hand. He didn’t recognize the man in front of him, nor did he recall having any dealings with him.

"Hello."

The oily man seemed like an old hand at this. Seeing Xie Yi withdraw his hand, he didn’t show any dissatisfaction on his face, instead continuing to chat with a smile. "The project our company collaborated with you on last time went extremely well. If there’s a chance next time..."

Before the man could finish, Xie Yi cut him off.

"Excuse me, your company is...?"

The oily man was slightly stunned by Xie Yi's question. Although his company wasn’t a big one, they had worked with Xie Yi before.

But now, Xie Yi couldn’t even remember the name of his company!!

This was such an insult!

But considering Xie Yi’s status was far above his, the man forced a smile.

"The name of my company..."

"Excuse me, this is a live show now, let's not talk about business."

Although Xie Yi was a workaholic, he knew when to draw the line and refused to continue the conversation with the oily man.

The oily man was taken aback again and, after a forced laugh, said, "Then allow me to introduce myself. My name is Men Jie, you can call me 'Jie Ge.' I run an entertainment company in our industry, which I’m sure everyone knows about..."

"Haha, someone is actually named Jie Ge!"

"Men Jie is like the combination of 'Men-chan' and 'Jie Ge'!"

Hearing this name, Yi Tiantian couldn’t help but laugh inwardly.

The couple, Liu Yide and Zhong Mei, also secretly laughed, deepening their confusion.

How could they hear Yi Tiantian’s thoughts without her speaking?!

Men Jie, already frustrated from being snubbed by Xie Yi, was even more angered when he heard someone laughing at him secretly. His face turned ashen, and he wanted to curse at the person, but he couldn’t even open his mouth!

Furious, Men Jie lost all interest in talking and waved his hand. "The woman sitting there is Juan Zi; she’s my wife."

While Men Jie was angry, Juan Zi behind him had been trembling, her face filled with fear, as if it had become muscle memory for her.

Hearing her husband call her name, Juan Zi’s delicate body shuddered.

Sitting right next to her, Yi Tiantian observed all of this very closely.

A vague and ominous premonition had already started to form in his mind.

"Why are you just standing there? Hurry up and greet everyone!"

Jie Ge got angry when he saw how timid and shrinking Juanzi looked. He turned his head and shouted loudly.

Hearing her husband's words, Juanzi couldn't help but nervously swallowed, then quickly stood up and said, "Hello everyone, I am Chen Juanjuan. You can call me Juanzi. I am Menjie's wife."

Juanzi's self-introduction was very simple, so simple that her only title was Menjie's wife.

"Wow, Sister Juanzi must be very happy usually, right? Being a housewife must feel really good? Unlike me, I'm always busy with filming and stuff, exhausted to death! It's still our brother Jie who is good, letting his sister-in-law enjoy a life of leisure!"

Zhong Mei pretended to be affectionate with Juanzi but was actually glancing at Jie Ge the whole time, wishing she could bore two holes into him with her eyes, throwing flirtatious looks upwards.

On the surface, Juanzi appeared to be a simple person, so after hearing Zhong Mei's words, she only smiled gently and lightly brushed a few strands of hair in front of her forehead, tucking them behind her ear.

"Yes, I am really happy at home."

Zhong Mei slightly curled her lips and snorted coldly in her heart.

How could a man as outstanding as Jie Ge ever fancy a woman like Chen Juan, who is so timid and shrinking?

It seemed her chances of winning had increased by another notch!

But over on Yi Tiantian's side, she didn't think so.

On the contrary, Chen Juan was actually not so simple; she was a woman with some scheming.

Just now, when Chen Juan brushed her hair, Yi Tiantian inadvertently saw a few hints of skin inside her sleeve, and on that exposed skin, there seemed to be a scar that had already scabbed over.

Though it was just a brief moment, it was enough to feel exceptionally cruel.

"Menjie is an utterly wicked man. His Jiechu Entertainment specifically signs up ordinary people who dream of becoming stars, then manipulates the contracts to force these ordinary people to become his money-making machines!"

"Even some stars who aren't feeling well and want to ask for leave aren't allowed to by his agents! Many of the artists under him have fainted mid-performance and been rushed to the hospital from the set..."

"And while he's so vicious to his employees, he's even more like a devil to his wife! Menjie not only physically abuses his wife Chen Juan, but he also forces her to record bizarre star-love videos for him and his gang of friends to watch! Chen Juan lives every day in fear and pain, longing for the day she can finally be free!"

"Tsk... This Jie Ge is truly worse than a beast!"

The most shocked person after hearing these thoughts was Zhong Mei, because while she knew Chen Juan might not have it easy, she hadn't expected it to be this miserable!

But then Zhong Mei thought again, and she felt it was all Chen Juan's own fault for being so weak and not winning Jie Ge's favor!

If it were her, she definitely wouldn't let things get like this!

Liu Yide, on the other hand, was desperately wishing in his heart that Zhong Mei would get involved with Menjie, because then Zhong Mei's fate would surely end up as miserable as Chen Juan's!

As for Xie Yi, he quietly took a breath and frowned at Menjie.

At this moment, Menjie's eyes were wide open like copper bells.

He had also realized that just now, Yi Tiantian hadn't spoken, but her voice had been echoing in his ears!

What was going on! How could they stop this person from continuing to speak!

Veins bulged on Menjie's forehead, as if he was about to lose control at any second.

But in contrast, Chen Juan was still smiling gently, because she couldn't hear Yi Tiantian's thoughts.

Just as the atmosphere at the scene was becoming a bit strange, two more people walked in from outside.

Yi Tiantian took a closer look and realized that these two were also recorded in the gossip system.

"Jin Yue'er and Zhao Yule, this couple are a newly officially announced couple online. They are both popular young actors, but their XPs are a bit strange."

"Because these two are habitual cheaters! Every time they join a new crew, they start competing to see who can hook up with more people, and they've already made a bet to compete on this show to see who can hook more people!"

"Terrifying, are we also part of your play? ???"